Silver Mists and Bloody Tides
Daxian, Sylvie, J'Kar, and Lord Keel all stood on the docks of Cape Red looking out onto the water. It was the middle of Spring, the first of the month Sharus of the year AeP 446, and the time of the algal bloom. Out to the horizon the ocean was red as sin. The Blood Tides of the cape had long caught the attention of poets, botanists, and sailors alike. It was easy to see why. The waters were enthralling in the way the surface twisted and churned in the wakes of ship and boats. Only a day from now the Kiranda’s Jewel would be out on the seas setting sail for the mysterious Southern Isles. The exact details of the expedition were so far unclear. But everyone on the expedition knew somewhere in the Isles lied a treasure trove of ancient relics just waiting to be found. All the trip was funded by a mysterious patron acting through the cryptic Lod Keel. The four were on the docks waiting for one just more crewman. Keel raises a bronze spyglass to his eye. “They’re here” he said simply. From the Southwest came a ship. It had a black hull and sails to match the tides. It flew high the dragon banner of Roadon. Keel stood with his usual stoic composure and looked down at the small chest he brought. They had only known him for a few days but they had yet to see him drop his calm and unsettling demeanor. The other three were an odd assortment themselves. There was young Sylvie, born and raised in Cape Red she had studied magic all her life. This was to be her chance to prove her name and find a noble patron. There was Daxian a mercenary from the Southern Isles. He had lived most of his life on the mainland and in addition to the generous pay this would be his chance to learn about his first home. And finally J’Kar. A young man of high birth none yet knew what to make of. Important Characters Player Characters * Daxian Byrne * Jack * J'Kar * Sylvie NPCs * Feerik * Genna * Henrus Kline * Janie Kerias * Leucy * Lord Keel * Melar Peterson * Palo --------------- Summary Session One: Blood Tide Shortly the Roadani warship pulled into the empty dock of the harbor. Walking down the gangplank first was a pair of soldiers, then a officer in a red robe and a black turban, and finally a man in simple brown clothes. He was Jack an old weathered sailor and the guide of this trip. Lord Keel picked up the box at his feet and handed it to the Roadani officer. The officer cracked it open and looked inside. All that could be seen was a glimpse of a few papers before the officer slammed it shut. He nodded and Keel shook his hand the transaction complete. Lord Keel then handed Jack some silver so that he could buy whatever gear he needed informing the group that they were to set sail tomorrow morning after a briefing this evening by one of the scholars on the trip. But first he needed them to run an errand. He gave them instructions on where to go to pick up an enchanted ballista and left the four standing on the dock. He ignored J’Kar’s protests on his way off. J’Kar felt this task was too trivial for him to do. This prompted Jack and Daxian to begin poking fun at him. The taunting only got worse as the four went around as Jack bought supplies and a shave. Soon they found themselves in what could only be described as a less reputable part of Cape Red. Clearly Lord Keel had purchased the ballista in a way where he could circumvent the Kaiser's tax on enchantment. With a knock on a non-descript door the group entered a dirty and dark warehouse. They were escorted to the back by a tough looking man with a large club strapped to his waist. In they back they found their ballista as well as four more thugs. Sylvie quickly inspected the weapon and confirmed it was properly enchanted and the hurried to the back of the room trying to remain out of sight. But then to no one's surprise there was a complication. The leader of the thugs informed everyone that it had been a little more expensive than he thought and some extra money would be needed. As Daxian and Jack began to go for their weapons J’Kar tried to talk him down. An extra sixty regents were needed. J’Kar laughed at the amount and handed it over with no problem as well as an extra ten for a tarp to cover the weapon. Daxian cringed knowing that since J’Kar exposed his money the thugs might try to take the rest. But it was clear that a fight wasn’t wanted they wanted. The thugs did not want to cross Lord Keel. The four took their next weapon and quickly left. They headed back to the dock. Sylvie especially was eager to be done with this clandestine work. Unfortunately they soon rounded a corner and bumped into a Mordish patrol. The soldiers asked what they had under the tarp. Before J’Kar could speak up, Daxian simply said “supplies” The guards believed him and with the help of J’Kar were talked away. However J’Kar was bothered by Daxian. He felt he should handle any talking and he quickly let the mercenary know. It was an uncomfortable walk back to the Kirinda’s Jewel. When they finally reached the ship they pushed the ballista up the ramp and were greeted by the captain. Captain Melar Peterson was an older well dressed man with an anchor tattoo on his right hand. He greeted them warmly and introduced his first mate Feerik, a Poi’Mareath. Feerik was the most armed man on the ship passing even Jack and Daxian. He took the siege weapon and went off with some of the crew to install it. Sylvie hurried off to the room she was sharing with the other students on the trip. Both students at Cape Red University like Sylvie herself. There was Palo who studied anthropology under Lord Professor Henrus Kline. And there was Genna who studied archaeology under Professor Janie Kerias. Meanwhile Jack and Daxian were becoming acquainted with the Captain and the crew. The two men were sharing a room. This was after Jack had decided to take a swim after removing all his clothes. J’Kar went to speak with Lord Keel. The cryptic noble had taken the captain’s quarters for his room and office. J’Kar tried to suck up to the Lord but was quickly shut down by the advice of the ever blunt Lord Keel. J’Kar made a note and went to find his way to his room. He was bunking alone is a modest room. That evening Keel organized a meeting of all the important people on the ship. In addition to him, the captain, Feerik, Jack, J’Kar, Daxian, Sylvie, and the other two students, the two scholars were present. The old and respected L.P. Kline and the young and adventurous Janie Kerias. She was the first to talk at the meeting. She and some students had discovered and old compass in an ancient ruin near in Northern part of Mordehall. But this compass was not pointing North. No it was a true compass pointing to some predetermined location. Some location in the Southern Isles. Everyone turned to Jack. He realized it was pointing towards an island called Karabour. And so he told them stories of the island. Stories of boiling water, sixty foot serpents and giant eagles with feathers of metal. He told them of it’s three lakes and the people who lived there. Many in the room especially J’Kar didn’t believe Jack. The young noble even went so far as to open dismiss his claims much to the ire of Lord Keel. In the end it was decided they would leave with the rising sun for the three day journey to the island. And so at first light the sails were set and the journey began. The Kirinda’s Jewel slid through the Blood Tide heading straight South. Jack and Daxian stood on the deck socializing with the crew. They noticed that while Melar was the captain and owner of the ship the crew seemed to follow Feerik. He led them in shanties often singing the raunchiest parts himself. Jack joined in and soon so did Daxian. Sylvie and the other academics all got together to discuss what possible could be found on Karabour. They all agreed to try and make sure as much as possible got into their hands instead of the hands of the nobility. All the VIPs on the ship got an invite to dinner from Lord Keel. He was not really making it optional. Dinner was served in the captain’s private mess. Thought the food was not great it was much better than the normal rations. Fresh bread from the docks and fish along with vegetables. And of course lots of wine. By the time most got there Lord Professor Kline was already quite drunk. Soon everyone was there but Lord Keel. J’Kar and Kline began making polite conversation. J’Kar insisted Kline looked familiar to him. Kline asked where he had studied and J’Kar gave the names of a few universities. Kline exclaimed that his awful ex-wife taught art at one of those and he used to teach there as well. The conversation pivoted and Captain Peterson began to talk about his life and his past close encounters with danger as a member of the Mordish Navy. Though none of his tales were particularly exciting they listened anyway. The conversation pivoted again as someone asked why exactly J’Kar was on this expedition. He began to explain that his father sent him here to offer a different view. But just as he was trying to explain this Lord Keel walked into the dinner. He assured the rest that J’Kar spoke with his voice. The two were working together. The rest of the dinner passed in conversation about the journey. Although it was made more uncomfortable by the presence of Lord Keel. Dinner soon wrapped up and Sylvie, Jack, J’Kar and Daxian went back their quarters they saw someone quickly leaving J’Kar’s room. Quickly Daxian and Jack took off after him. The mercenary grabbed the man’s foot and Jack quickly took a swing at the back of the man’s head with his cestus. He was knocked out cold. They dragged him back to J’Kar’s room so they could talk to him privately. It took him a while to wake up. With Daxian and Jack flexing behind him to intimidate the crewman J’Kar conducted the interrogation. It turned out he had been hired in Cape Red to watch J’Kar and investigate him. He had been looking for any sign of who the lord was that sponsored this trip. With this information somehow J’Kar convinced the man they were in fact working together. So they let him go confident he wouldn't be an issue. Come morning J’Kar felt he should tell Lord Keel about the man in his quarters. He went to the noble’s office. Lord Keel promised to look into it but decided he wasn’t too worried. J’Kar also expressed his concerns about their guide. He felt Jack was not trustworthy. Lord Keel again wasn’t worried. He expressed his confidence in Jack and his abilities. He also suggested J’Kar talk to Jack. So as Sylvie spent the time looking for seastones, Jack and J’Kar talked. Jack explained his fondness for over-exaggeration was actually a ploy. When he spoke of the sixty foot serpents on Karabour it was so people wouldn’t be as worried by forty foot snakes. This conversation was the beginning of a begrudging trust between the two men. The third day at sea passed without incident. Sylvie continues to look for godstones with no luck and the rest of the crew slowly got acquainted with each other. Jack and Daxian especially fit right in with the sailors. But as the sun began to set a great grey wall was seen on the horizon. A storm was coming. Lord Keel ushered most of the VIPs down below decks as the crew with some help from J’Kar and Sylvie began to batten down the hatches and board up the windows. Jack and Daxian stayed above decks to help the crew run the storm. Melar let Jack take the wheel of the ship as the old sailor had more experience with this than the captain. Jack needing something to keep the rain out of his eyes asked the captain for his hat. Peterson handed in right over. Feerik barked orders to the crew and they all got ready. And then the storm hit. Violent winds, huge waves, and heavy rain pounded the Kirinda’s Jewel. Jack did his best to right the ship. Daxian added his strength to the crew’s as they swung the sails as needed. And then a loud crack and a flash of light as a bolt of lightning struck the side of the ship. This did two things. It blew off some boards from a large hartch on the side exposing the lower deck to the raging waters. And it light a fire on the upper deck. Most of the crew had been scattered by the blast but Daxian and Jack hung on. The mercenary noticed the sail flailing wildly. Suddenly one of the booms was swinging right at him. He grabbed it and managed to hold on. It swung out above the water but the combined weight of Daxian and the wooden boom was perfect. Jack turned the ship into an oncoming wave dousing the fire and putting it out. But below decks this led to a problem. The old Professor Kline was dazed from the sudden strike of lightning. He was tethering dangerously close to the open hatch. Both Sylvie and J’Kar ran to grab him as the ship turned suddenly. J’Kar was able to pull him back but knocked into Sylvie in the process. She flew right out the hatch into the storming waves below. Immediately realizing what he had done J’Kar grabbed a rope tying it to himself. He called for help so that someone could anchor him. Only Lord Keel was able to respond not dazed by this event. So as Keel held the rope J’Kar jumped out to get Sylvie. Fortunately Sylvie was comfortable in water being a skilled ocean mage. Though with a storm on even the best swimmers would drown. But J’Kar was able to find her and with the help of Keel get back onboard righting his mistake. Though the storm did not pass quickly the crew under the direction of Captain Peterson, Feerik, and Jack was able to run the storm. It was a long and uncomfortable night but in the end they made it through with no losses. Jack returned the hat to the captain and went to sleep happy with his work. And in the golden light of the rising sun was an emerald green smudge. The Island of Karabour. Session Two: A Dead God Walks These Jungles Come the full morning the passengers of the Kirinda’s Jewel were better rested than the night before. Captain Peterson had sailed to the East and West and Janie Kerias determined that the compass was indeed pointing to a spot on Karabour. So as the ship sailed around to the closest place on shore, the expedition was organized. L.P. Kline was not feeling well after the storm so he would stay on the ship. Feerik and some crew would row J’Kar, Daxian, Jack, and the academics ashore. J’Kar was surprised that Lord Keel placed him on the trip and did not go himself. He was able to surmise that Lord Keel was testing him in someway. How he did not know. The trip ashore was smooth. The Poi’Mareath first mate rowed steadily through the blue waves of the South. As everyone tried to guess what would be found Jack and J’Kar argued. It ended when Jack pushed the other man off the boat and then jumped off himself much to the amusement of Feerik. J’Kar was helped back over by Daxian. Soon the dinghy reached the shore. As people began to climb out they noticed all the crew members of the ship spitting in the the ocean as they stepped onto land. Feerik informed the group that he would be here all day and come back every morning. Should the group take longer than a week to return Lord Keel would decide to stay or not. Just as the expedition group was walking up the white sands into the thick jungle ahead Feerik called out to Sylvie. He had found one of Li-Shara’s godstones in the waves. He tossed it to the young student with the words “Just lucky I guess” With that the group walked into the trees. Much to the frustration of Jack they did not walk for long. After only half an hour both J’Kar and the students were tired and needed a rest. The group sat down to drink and eat. But just as they were settling in they heard someone approach. They swung around to confront whoever it was. Just as they did a dozen Islanders stepped out from the jungle. They were a disordered group. All wearing various scraps of armor and stone jewelry. Each was armed with a different weapon scavenged from somewhere. The seven explorers found themselves surrounded. The Islanders were angry at the group for landing on Karabour and demanded to know why they were here. Thinking fast J’Kar tried to convince the Islanders they were simply here on a botany expedition. Everyone else slowly went for their weapons knowing they were vastly outnumbered. Fortunately the Islanders bought J’Kar’s story. But Palo spoke up confused disagreeing with J’Kar. So J’Kar smacked him yelling for him to be quiet. Palo turned to Professor Kerias for support but going along with the ruse she told him to be quiet. The act convinced the Islanders and they left the group alone. Not wanting to stay any longer the explorers grabbed their things and continued to walk. Karabour was an unsettling place. The thick jungle trees were draped in vines, the air was humid and full of flies, the ground was muddy, and only a few beams of golden light made it through the canopy. Many tropical birds sat in the trees and small rodents moved through the underbrush. As of yet there was no sign of the mighty serpents or the steel eagles Jack had mentioned. But the old sailor did notice a normal snake hiding in the lower branches of the trees. With a well thrown rock he knocked it down and quickly killed it. Much to the disgust of everyone else he draped the dead snake over his shoulders and continued the march, though not for long. For soon after came a call of a raptor. The Great Eagles of Ghendar had found the group. Three of the great metal birds swooped down on them. They were big, bigger than most birds of prey. They had yellow eyes and steel feathers. They dove down slashing with their steel talons. Jack, Daxian, and Sylvie got into a fighting position while J’Kar tried his hardest to help. Janie Kerias grabbed a big stick from the ground trying to protect Genna and Palo. One went for Jack slashing at him. Another for Daxian, and a third for J’Kar. Daxian threw an axe, Jack and Sylvie tried to strike the eagles with their weapons and J’Kar tried something tricky. He quickly moved near a tree grabbing a vine and throwing it near the eagle. It caught the bird tangling it and dropping it to the ground. But not before the monster had struck his arm. Quickly the eagle that Daxian was fighting swooped away from him going for the academics. It got past Kerias and swiped at Genna. In a spray of blood and a scream she dropped to the ground. The rest saw this and those not engaged with Eagles tried to draw the attention away from the injured girl. Jack who had been struck by one of the eagles quickly swiped out with his sword killing the first eagle. Daxian ran to the one on the ground beheading it with his axe. But the last one flew for him. They fought and Sylvie ran up behind the flying bird to strike it with her spear. J’Kar dropped down trying to spark a flame from one of the dead birds feathers. Before he could, Sylvie struck with her spear finish the last eagle. Everyone ran to check on Genna. The cut was deep but not life threatening. She had managed to bring up her arm to block the eagle. As a result her arm was mangled and she couldn’t use it. But she was not in danger of dying. Sylvie tried her best to patch everyone up. But she did not have much medical knowledge and only was able to make sure the wounds didn’t get worse. It was obvious Genna wouldn’t be able to proceed with them, despite her insistence that she could. It was decided to take her back to the Kirinda’s Jewel. After a short argument Jack walked her back to Feerik. He was the only one they trusted to go alone through the jungle. Upon seeing the girl Feerik got worried and helped her into the rowboat. He quickly took her back to the ship. Jack walked back alone in the jungle wary but unhindered. Jack returned to the group and by evening they had reached the shore of the lake. The beach was made of small pebbles and steam poured off the surface of the water. Those who felt it found the water to be hot. Not quite boiling but still almost painful to touch. In the distance on the surface was an island cloaked in shadow. There the compass pointed. They soon discussed their goal. The island looked dangerous and Jack seemed nervous. He spoke of ancient mysteries and dangerous stories surrounding these islands. He was almost on the verge of refusing to go. Some, especially J’Kar found his stories vague and silly. But none could deny the aura of danger coming from the lake. But this was a problem to be decided in the morning. They set up a watch and went to sleep. Everyone who took a watch thought something different. J’Kar was first. When the others slept he dropped his posture. The watch provided him a convenient time for him to get his thoughts in order. He could almost see what Jack was getting at with his superstition. An alligator crawled from the water. The two looked at each other and neither felt the need to fight. The reptile walked off into the mist. Just as he was getting comfortable a horrible scream echoed across the water. It was one of the worst things J’Kar had ever heard. It was shrill and high pitched and it almost sounded like thunder. He shivered. On her watch Sylvie felt unease. She was out of her element. She had never left Cap Red before and now she found herself here on this island of danger. But she steadied herself ready to take on what challenges would come. She would prove herself. Daxian on the other hand felt calm. After so many years he was home. And it felt right to him. And now he was finding creedence in his father's stories. Janie thought about her trip here. From finding the compass to the storm and the eagles. She worried for her student but also the trip ahead. All her life she had been trying to find something like this. Now it only lay half a mile away. Jack felt comfort being back here. These islands had always brought comfort and fortune to him. But then at the end of his watch the same echo J’Kar had heard. He knew what it was and it scared him more than anything. As everyone woke up Jack continued to stare across the ocean. Finally as people started to make their breakfast he spoke up to them. In the waters of the lake before them was a Siren. A terrible and vicious creation of the old sea god. Like a woman and a seal with an eagle's beak and an insatiable hunger. Sirens were the worst fear of any sailor. Palo worried by these stories insisted they turn back and walked off. Daxian followed him as the others tried to plan. He revealed to Palo that he too was scared of death. Every time he fought it was worry. But he bested that fear by fighting. The other four tried to think of anything they could do to stop the Siren. They talked long and Janie insisted they go. To turn back now would be for her life’s work to end.Category:Campaigns